Bankai’s Second Stage His Unbreakable Skin.
(Note: This is Chapter 12 of the ''Return From Exile'' story arc.) Byakuya watched with interest as the orb of cards floated before him... It seemed to be slowly shrinking, and at its edges he saw the shape of hands and feet poke out. As this process completed itself what Byakuya saw was a body in shinigami robes, but every inchwas coated in scales composed of the backs of the playing cards. “This is my Bankai’s second stage; it is quite remarkable, isn’t it?” Akashi’s voice came from the body as if speaking from inside a metal room. “Now where were we? Ah, yes!” Akashi held out his hand to his right side and the skin seemed to tremble as cards extended into the shape of a blade and retracted to reveal Akashi’s zanpakto. “Shall we?” and instantly he flash stepped over and over all around their fighting space, and Byakuya began to struggle to keep up with him. “Is the great master of the flash step having difficulty keeping up?” Akashi mocked, but as he did Byakuya punched him with his free hand, then flash-stepped and as Akashi flew through the air, Byakuya kicked him hard to the ground. “You take me too lightly. You should have gone when I told you to. Goodbye, Brother, Gokei Senbonzakura Kageyoshi!” as Byakuya spoke the blades all around returned to petals once more and the encased the area, Byakuya looked on his brother’s body stirring on the ground, then flash-stepped away. He appeared not far from where Ichigo was standing. As the enormous mass of petal-like blades collapsed in on itself, releasing a shockwave that crumpled a few of the walls still standing in the courtyard. The resulting breeze blew Byakuya’s scarf back. “C- Captain,” Renji groaned. Byakuya turned to look at his fallen lieutenant. “W- Was that Gokei?” “Gokei?” Ichigo repeated. “Heh,” Renji laughed painfully, “It’s an unavoidable technique it surrounds the enemy from every conceivable angle and then the blades all converge at once.” “Yes,” Byakuya said, “and even the protective armor he wore couldn’t withstand the force of that attack. Though it may not have cut him it certainly crushed him. What is this?” The cloud of blades had cleared away, but there was no body lying there. In fact there was nothing but a crater. “Ichigo stay here and keep these two safe. Akashi is still alive.” “But how?” Ichigo asked but before he could receive an answer Byakuya was gone. Byakuya appeared amid the cloud of blades, “Akashi, Show yourself!” he said forcefully not hiding his irritation. Laughter emitted from all around Byakuya, coming from within his zanpakto’s clouds. Slowly cards began to stream out of the cloud and as they did Byakuya called out, “Senkei, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi.” As the rows of blades came together, the cards began to assemble on the ground forming feet, then legs, and before long an entire body had been formed; it was Akashi. The covering over the head pealed away to reveal a smile on Akashi’s face. “How do you like it, Byakuya? Quite the survival technique I’d say. Though to be fair, had I been without this skill you certainly would have just ended this battle.” The covering returned over his head and he became a cloud of cards swirling around Byakuya. “So how will you defeat me now, Brother?” the voice mocked. Byakuya stood still and closed his eyes. “Don’t ignore me!” the cloud gathered up and slammed into Byakuya who was forced to the ground. “Do you understand now? I’m invincible in this form and there is no way you can stop me!” Byakuya’s eyes remained closed as he rose to his feet. “Stay down!” the voice cried out as a wave of cards blew past him cutting him and his robes, it even clipped his scarf. “Don’t be mad brother I can assure you that you won’t need that marker of your rank any longer.” With that the cloud drilled Byakuya in his stomach forcing him into the air and then slamming him into the ground once again. “You talk too much, brother,” Byakuya said in a groan as the stood once more eyes still closed. “I told you many times when you were younger that you need to work on that, but you never did. Did you?” Byakuya grabbed a blade from the rows surrounding them, and took a stance, eyes shut tight. “Do you think that you can beat me in this state with a simple blade?” Akashi’s voice said from within the cloud. “Let me show you what I can do,” suddenly four other clouds of cards appeared around him, “I’m going to show you my own form of Gokei!” he yelled as Byakuya was now entirely surrounded by the cards, “I will slice you to pieces with my own cloud of blades!” the card-blades came crashing in and Byakuya thrust out his sword. The cards stopped in mid-air, many disappeared until only the originals were left. There on the middle of Byakuya’s blade was the King of Hearts. Akashi’s voice panted from the card as the cloud reformed his body. The card skin began to fall away on parts of the body; patches of Akashi’s skin began to show on his arms, legs, torso and face. An eye appeared; his mouth did, too. Akashi, breathing heavily, groaned and said, “How, how did you-“ “As I said, you talk too much,” Byakuya began “it was a warning I gave to you when you were younger. Another was that you should not become overconfident in your own abilities. You should always assume that your opponent has one last skill to be unveiled. Since you didn’t remember those I don’t think you’ll remember this one either, but when unable to properly see an opponent you must use your other senses to find them.” Akashi looked at him perplexed. Byakuya pulled the blade from his brother’s gut. “I could hear your voice. You were speaking from one central card that you hid your consciousness and power in, and then all you did was amplify your voice through the rest of the cards. Between that and your spiritual pressure being focused in one point I found out which one.” Akashi coughed blood, “Well played brother, and I might concede to you had that been my last bet, however,” he held out his hand and like before the blade appeared from within the broken skin. “I do have a few hands left to play.” Previous Chapter:Return to the Present, The Battle of the King and the Lotus. Next Chapter:Akashi's Renewed Strength, Byakuya's End?